Freshman year

First term

• Math 1a
• Physics 1a
• Hum 5a
• Table Tennis
• Chem 3a
• Chem 1a
• CS 1

Second term

• Math 1b Practical
• Physics 1b Analytical
• Hum 12b
• Tennis Team
• Chem 1b
• Bi 8

Third term

• Math 1c Analytical
• Physics 1c Analytical
• L132c - Intermediate German
• Bi 9
• Bi 10
• Tennis Team
• Ge 1

What I think of the Classes I took

• Math1a

  Math1a 1999 Prof. Barry Simon Ma1a Web Site Section Web Site

  Ma 1 a was the first math class I took here at Caltech. At first it seemed to me that Prof. Simon was teaching the class quite randomly. I didn't seem to be able to find his logic and I admit I was a bit confused. However, this only continued throughout the first half of the course (calculus). When we started studying basic probability, the logic started to make sense. I thought the class was really interesting at that time. The homeworks were fun, the lectures also. I seemed to understand everything fine. So I liked Math 1a very much even though the first part of the course was rather confusing. The homeworks and exams were of the right difficulty, I think. It was fun.

• Math1b

  Math1b Practical 1999 Prof. Alexander Kechris Ma1b Practical Web Site Section Web Site

  I took Math 1b Prac because my advisor at the time, Donald Cohen, told me it was a good idea to do that. I found the class very easy. I do not know whether it was because I had already learned some of the material in school or whether it was because it was supposed to be easy. The homeworks were not very interesting, I found them monotonous. We had 20 or more problems of the same type. It took some time to finish them but it was just work to be done without much thought. Homeworks and exams were too easy.

• Math1c

  Math1c Analytical 2000 Prof. Matthias Flach Ma1c Anal Web Site

  In the third term I decided that it would be nicer if I changed to analytical math. I expected to get more out of this course than I did out of Math 1b. I was a little bit afraid that I was behind on the material because the other students in analytical math had done many proofs already in Math 1b and I hadn't. Well, it was rather hard at first but I think with some help from the TAs I learned how to do proofs. The homeworks had only a few problems but they required a lot of thinking. Especially the starred problems. The midterm and final were harder than the homeworks. I thought the midterm was harder than the final. I barely managed to solve the problems in the given time.

• Phys1a

  Phys1a 1999 Prof. Bradley Filippone

  Ph1a was the first physics class I took here at Caltech. I was placed in Section 1, one of the 2 sections for people who hadn't had much physics in high school. I had a really hard time in Phys1a. I had problems understanding the material which lead to problems in doing the homework. But with some help from friends and the TAs these problems were in a way resolved. The exams were awful. But the TAs are great.

• Phys1b

  Phys1b Analytical 1999 Prof. Andrew Lange

  I took Phys 1b Analytical because I did not want to do the labs that I would've had to do if I had taken Phys 1b Practical. It turns out I am not a very practical person. The first half of this course was exciting and with a level of difficulty which was ok for me. I loved relativity. However, when we started E&M I started hating the class. The professor is great, the TAs also. Nevertheless, I felt helpless since I didn't get the logic, I couldn't get the connection between subjects. This problem continued throughout the course. Even though I think I managed to get good grades in the class I still think that I didn't learn much. Maybe it is all my fault.

• Phys1c

  Phys1c Analytical 2000 Prof. Andrew Lange

  The problems I was faced with in Phys1b coincided with the ones I had in the second half of Phys1c. If it wasn't for my friends I would never have understood some very basic concepts. The exams were a nightmare for me. But I managed to survive.

• Chem1a

  Chem 1a 1999 Prof. Nathan Lewis

  Chem1a was an easy course, like most of Chem1. The lectures were fun once in a while. We had some nice demos. And also, in case you are a person who enjoys adventures, you might like it when at his birthday, Prof. Lewis is thrown by the students in the pool in front of Millikan. It is a very happy occasion.

• Chem1b

  Chem 1b 1999 Profs. Douglas Rees and Jacqueline Barton

  Chem1b was an easy course, like most of Chem1. Chem1b has two parts, one taught by Prof. Barton, and one by Prof. Rees. Although both parts of the course were interesting I found myself going to Prof. Barton's lectures more often than to Prof. Rees'. This is not due to the fact that Prof. Barton's lectures were better (which they weren't) but to the fact that they were earlier in the course. Later on in the term, I had no time to attend lectures the material of which I already knew...

• Chem3a

  Chem 3a 1999 A required lab course

  Chem3a was a nightmare. This is the first laboratory class I have ever taken. And it was awful. Never ever take the Friday section! It starts at 8am. Which Caltech student is awake at that time??? Anyway, then it goes until 10am, then you have 2 classes until 12 and at 1pm it starts all over again. And if you are lucky you can finish by 4.30pm. Since I am a vrey slow working person, it usually took me until 5.30pm to finish. Well, one good thing about this course, the TAs are great!

• Hum5a

  Hum5a 1999 Prof. Kevin Gilmartin

  I did not like Hum5a. It was not only because the material was not exactly the most interesting one in the world, but also because I had some misunderstandings with the professor. Of course, this is probably only my problem.

• Hum12b

  Hum12b 1999 Prof. Hitchcock

  Hum12b is very, very interesting, a fun course to take. The professor is very strict, a lot of class participation is required, but the topics are rather contraversial and you would want to participate. Well, of course, there was a fraction of the people taking the class which slept through it. This shouldn't discourage you from taking it though. I assure you, you will like it.

• L132c

  Intermediate German 2000 Prof. Sigrid Washburn

  L132c was a bit boring and time consuming. I have had about 7 years of German and I guess this course was not of the right level for me. Also, because many different people take it (grads, undergrads, people from out of Caltech) it is hard to find a time suitable for all of the students. This lead to the innocuous noon lectures. I had absolutely no time to have lunch because I also had lectures before and after German. And because it was an easy class, I decided not to attend most of the lectures. This was a mistake because the professor is ... Anyway, she is a very order loving woman and would not stand such evil behavior. She called me a day before the end of classes to tell me that I have to write two more essays and even though I had written a 30page long final in German she demanded a short final in English... O well, I guess I did not have fun. But I did get an A, which is what I had expected...

• Table Tennis

  Table Tennis :-) Coach Wang

  Table Tennis is a great class! I recommend it heartily to anyone who wants to have a nice time! The coach is wonderful and very {VERY} experienced. She teaches very well and is fun to watch!

• Tennis Team

  Tennis Team :-) Coach Karen Nilsen

  The Tennis Team is a must for tennis players! It offers a nice environment of friendship and you can always enjoy yourself even when you are losing. And after all, we are one of the best teams in the area - we even went to Hawaii in my sophomore year! :-)

• Bi8

  Bi 8 1999 Prof. Alexander Varshavsky

  Biology 8 is a nice class. The professor is a fun guy and shares with the students not only the material we are supposed to learn but also his own experience as a scientist, which I personally find very valuable. The exams are very difficult but they are also open everything!

• Bi9

  Bi 9 2000 Prof. William Dunphy

  All I can say here is: I hate Bi 9 !!! Well, I had some really bad experience with this class, partly due to the fact that I had really no time for it but mainly because it is very badly organised. Ok, no homework, you might say is great. But NO, it is not. Because you can never keep up with the reading (the whole Alberts book) and very quickly lose the idea what exactly you are studying. The midterm was awful, so was the final. The final paper was a real misunderstanding. I could not get any help from the TAs and the professor was never there. And after all this, there was no evaluation sheet for this class... What a bureaucracy!

• Bi10

  Bi 10 2000 Prof. Raymond Deshaies

  Bi 10 was one of the best classes I have ever taken. Helpful lectures. TAs were always there, wonderful equipment. Good organization. Absolutely outstanding. Of course, it was not very obvious how exactly we should write the lab reports, however I think that if you read a scientific paper you would know what is expected from you.

  
  

• Geology 1
  

  Ge 1 2000 Prof. David Stevenson

  Ge 1 is a very interesting class but is VERY time consuming. I went on two nice field trips from which I learned more than from the {boring} lectures. I recommend going on the John Eiler field trip. You might invest a day or two in it but it is certainly worth it.

  
  

• CS 1

  Computer Science 1 Prof. David Epstein

  CS 1 was a fun and very time consuming class. The lab assignments are rather lengthy but you learn a lot from them. The TAs are extremely helpful. The homeworks were easy and took 10 min to solve (at most). I skipped almost all of the cs1 lectures, however I attended all of the TA sections I could. This was enough. And it was fantastic.